Method of making a wood encased writing instrument

ABSTRACT

A writing instrument having a cap portion and a barrel portion receiving the operating mechanism and being coupled together when the instrument is in use, each of the portions being provided with a casing of real wood exteriorly thereof, the casing presenting the outermost surface area of the writing instrument. The method for forming the wood-encased writing instrument includes the steps of preparing an initially monolithic strip of real wood, forming the strip into a pair of sections, each corresponding in size to one of the portions of the writing instrument, forming a bore longitudinally of each of the sections and placing the respective portions in their corresponding bores whereupon the portions may be coupled together to present the finished instrument.

nit ed States Patent olster et a1.

[ METHOD OF MAKING A WOOD ENCASED WRITING INSTRUMENT [72] Inventors: Edward J. Kolster, Lexington, Mo.;

George 0. Ira, Prairie Village, Kans.

[73] Assignee: Hallmark Cards, Incorporated, Kansas City, Mo.

[22] Filed: April 29, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 32,920

[52] US. Cl. ..29/4l6, 29/445, 29/463, '29/525, l44/309.l, 401/99, 401/213 [51] Int. Cl. ..B23p 17/00 [58] Field of Search ....29/463, 52, 416, 445; 401/99, 401/209, 213; 206/165; 217/6; 144/315,

[451 Aug. 15, 1972 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 592,531 8/ 1925 France ..21 7/6 Primary Examiner-Charlie T. Moon Attorney-Schmidt, Johnson, Hovey, Williams & Chase [57] ABSCT A writing instrument having a cap portion and a barrel portion receiving the operating mechanism and being coupled together when the instrument is in use, each of the portions being provided with a casing of real wood exteriorly thereof, the casing presenting the outermost surface area of the writing instrument. The method for forming the wood-encased writing instrument includes the steps of preparing an initially monolithic strip of real wood, forming the strip into a pair of sections, each corresponding in size to one of the portions of the writing instrument, forming a bore longitudinally of each of the sections and placing the respective portions in their corresponding bores whereupon the portions may be'coupled together to present the finished instrument.

6 Clains, 9 Drawing Figures MAKING A WOOD ENCASED i INGINSTR I F It is the most important object of this invention to provide a wood-encased writing instrument which is attractive in appearance and which can be fabricated readily and economically from a minimum number of parts and minimal amount of material by proceeding through sequential steps.

It is a yet further object of this invention to provide, in a writing instrument such as an automatic pencil or ball-point pen, an instrument which has the major outermost surface area thereof formed by a real wood casing, the casing being fabricated from an initially monolithic strip of wood whereby the two sections of the casing which encase the barrel portion and the cap portion of the instrument are matching in color, grain and texture of wood, each of the sections of the casing corresponding in general configuration to that of the portions which are received therein.

Yet another important aim of this invention is to provide a series of sequential steps whereby a wood-encased writing instrument may be fabricated, the steps including those of forming from real wood a pair of sections each corresponding to the barrel portion or the cap portion of the writing instrument; forming a bore longitudinally of each of said sections; and inserting a sleeve of the respective portions in the bore of the corresponding sections, the operating mechanism of the writing instrument being subsequently received within the sleeves.

Other objects include significant elements of construction, as well as important steps in the making of the wood-encased writing instrument, all of which will become apparent from the following specification and accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of real wood sections formed from an initially monolithic strip of real wood and which sections are utilized to form the wood-encased writing instrument;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing one of the sections in cross section, the sections each being shown with a bore formed longitudinally thereof;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal, cross-sectional view of the wood section for the barrel portion and showing the sleeve of the barrel portion partially inserted within the bore of the section;

FIG. 4 is a view of the cap section having the sleeve of the cap portion inserted therein and illustrating the step of cutting the cap section to length and forming a slot for receiving a clip for the instrument;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the barrel section and illustrating the manner in which the same is cut to length;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, partially sectional view schematically illustrating the steps by which the barrel section and the cap section are shaped by a suitable tool;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view showing the cap section and the manner in which the ring is fixedly secured to the sleeve;

FIG. 8 is a schematic, fragmentary, partially sectional view showing the manner in which the clip for the writing instrument is secured to the cap portion thereof after the same has been encased in its cor responding section of casing; and

FIG. 9 is an exploded elevational view of the completed writing instrument.

METHOD OF The writing instrument hereinafter described may take the form of an automatic pencil, ball-point pen, or similar instrument for writing purposes, it being the aim of this invention to provide such an instrument which is encased through substantially all of the outermost surface area thereof in a casing of real wood. The real wood utilized in encasing the writing instrument can be of any type, kind or grade, although it is desired to commence the encasing procedures hereinafter described with an initially monolithic strip of real wood whereby the entire outer casing of the writing instrument will match in color, grain and texture when the encasing thereof is completed. It will be further appreciated that the method hereinafter disclosed may be readily used in providing an outer casing for other objects of the same general type and nature of the writing instrument hereinafter specifically referred to for purposes of illustration.

In the drawing, the writing instrument is broadly designated by the numeral 10 and consists of a cap portion 12, normally uppermost when the instrument is in use, and a barrel portion 14 normally forming the lowermost part of the writing instrument when it is in use or being conventionally carried. A clip, broadly designated by the numeral 16, is conventionally provided for the instrument l0 and is secured thereto in a manner which will hereinafter be more particularly described.

The portions 12 and 14 of the writing instrument 10 are intended to be coupled together when the instrument is in use as by an extension of the barrel portion 14 and which telescopically receives the cap portion 12 of the instrument whereby to securely retain the two portions together to complete the single elongated writing instrument.

Suitable operating mechanism for the instrument (not shown) is conventionally provided and is usually received primarily within the barrel portion 14, although part of the operating mechanism would extend into the cap portion 12. The operating mechanism does not form any part of the present invention, the same being related particularly to the casing 18 which is provided for the writing instrument It), the casing 18 having a section 20 corresponding to cap portion 12 and a section 22 corresponding to barrel portion 14 whereby the casing 18 presents the major outermost surface area of the writing instrument with the specific exceptions in the embodiment presently chosen for illustration being the clip 16, a circumscribing ring 24 and the point of the writing instrument which is not shown in the drawing but which normally extends outwardly of the lower end of the barrel portion 14.

The sections 20 and 22 are formed from an initially monolithic strip of real wood which is obtained from a suitable larger piece of lumber, the strip of real wood being suitably faced and cut to correspond generally in size to the overall length of the writing instrument 10.

The strip of real wood, which is not shown in the drawing, is then cut into the pair of sections 20 and 22, it being noted that since said sections are formed from an initially monolithic strip of wood they will correspond and match in color, grain and texture, this characteristic being desirable for the outer casing of the writing instrument and the steps hereinafier described therefor being directed to maintaining this desirable matching characteristic.

Once the sections and 22 have been cut from the initial strip, said sections can be either polygonal or cylindrical in configuration, and each are suitably drilled longitudinally thereof whereby to form a bore, the bore in cap section 20 being designated as 26, the bore in barrel section 22 being designated as 28.

When the sections 20 and 22 have been provided with bores 26 and 28 respectively, there is inserted in each of said bores a corresponding sleeve, the sleeve of the cap section being identified as 30, and the sleeve of the barrel section being identified as 32 in the drawing. Said sleeves 30 and 32 are intended to define the inner surface of the cap portion and barrel portion respectively, said sleeves receiving interiorly thereof the operating mechanism for the writing instrument 10, the casing 18 being exterior of the said sleeves and therefore of the portions 12 and 14.

In order to secure the sleeves 30 and 32 within the bores 26 and 28 of their corresponding sections 20 and 22, the sleeves themselves or the inner wall of the bores may be suitably coated with an adhesive material whereby, when the sleeves are inserted into the bores as by moving the same longitudinally thereof in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3, a coating of adhesive will be disposed between the outer surface of the sleeves 30 and 32 and the inner surface of their corresponding bores 26 and 28. A suitable drying or setting period is permitted so that the adhesive can securely bind the sleeves to their corresponding sections.

Once the sleeves 30 and 32 have been securely positioned within the bores 26 and 28 respectively, the cap section 20 is cut by a cutter 34 as illustrated in FIG. 4 whereby to form a slot 36 as seen in FIG. 7, and to cut section 20 to length, the slot being intended to receive the clip 16 at the normally uppermost, otherwise closed end of the cap section 20.

Likewise, and as illustrated in FIG. 5, after the sleeve 32 has been inserted within bore 28 of section 22, a facing tool 38 is utilized to cut section 22, and its sleeve 32, opposite the normally open end of the sleeve 32, whereby to face the section 22, size said section to the proper length, and form an opening in sleeve 32 for ultimate reception of the point and operating mechanism of the instrument. a

After the generally cylindrical sleeves 30 and 32 have been secured interiorly of their corresponding sections 20 and 22 and said sections cut as hereinabove described, the sections are each shaped as by a suitable tool 40 which may be in the nature of a lathe, router, or similar cutting or abrasive tool, which tool acts on the exterior surface of the sections 20 and 22 to transform the same from their initial configuration to the desired final configuration.

It will be noted that, while virtually any transverse or longitudinal final configuration may be achieved, in the embodiment particularly chosen for illustration, the same conforms generally to that of the sleeves 30 and 32 which are each both essentially cylindrical throughout their lengths, although each tapers slightly toward one end thereof as is apparent from the drawing. The bores 26 and 28 which are formed in the sections 20 and 22 are cut by a drill which serves to taper the inner ends of said bores to correspond to the taper of the ends of sleeves 30 and 32, thereby insuring that the external surface of said sleeves corresponds essentially exactly to the configuration presented by the bores within which such sleeves are received.

In the shaping of the sections 20 and 22 to conform the same to the desired final configuration, suitable sensing devices or the like can be used to cause the shaping tool 40 to travel in a path corresponding exactly to the desired configuration for the finished casmg.

The free open end 42 of the cap sleeve 30 is provided with the ring 24, said ring or band 24 being telescoped over end 42 of sleeve 30 and the end 42 then being suitably flared outwardly to thereby tightly retain ring 24 on end 42 of sleeve 30 in a position adjacent the section 20.

After the foregoing step has been completed, the clip 16 is secured to the cap portion 12 of the writing instrument in the manner illustrated in FIG. 8, the clip having a portion 46 which extends through the slot 36 which is formed in the top of section 20 and sleeve 30 and into the interior of cap portion 12, there being a resilient ring 48 which is suitably moved along the interior of cap portion 12 to a point of embracing engagement with portion 46, the ring 48 engaging the inner wall of cap portion 12 whereby to tightly retain the clip 16 with respect to portion 12 of the writing instrument 10.

At any suitable time during the aforementioned sequential steps, the real wood casing sections 20 and 22 may be suitably polished, oiled or dressed whereby to impart thereto the desired preservation or appearance. Once the cap portion 12 has been provided with exterior wood casing section 20 and barrel portion 14 has been provided with exterior wood casing section 22, said casing sections combine to present the major outermost surface area of the writing instrument. The operating mechanism may then be suitably inserted into sleeve 30, the point of the instrument secured thereto and the completed writing instrument then readily placed into use.

Thus, there is provided a wood-encased writing instrument which is aesthetically pleasing in appearance and wherein the casing of the writing instrument may be readily fabricated from an initially monolithic strip of real wood having the desired appearance characteristics.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. The method of forming a wood encased writing instrument having a cap portion and a barrel portion, which portions each include a generally cylindrical sleeve and are nonnally coupled together when the instrument is in use comprising the steps of:

forming from real wood a pair of sections, each corresponding in size to one of said portions;

forming a bore longitudinally of each of said sections;

inserting the sleeves of the respective portions in the bore of their corresponding sections; and

cutting the barrel section at the end thereof opposite from that in which the sleeve is inserted to form an opening in said section for receiving a point for the instrument.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, which includes the step of preparing an initially monolithic strip of real wood, said sections being formed from said strip.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, which includes the step of shaping the exterior surface of each of said sections to substantially conform to the longitudinal configuration of its corresponding sleeve.

4. The method of forming a wood encased writing instrument having a cap portion and a barrel portion, which portions each include a generally cylindrical sleeve and are normally coupled together when the instrument is in use comprising the steps of:

forming from real wood a pair of sections, each corresponding in size to one of said portions;

forming a bore longitudinally of each of said sections;

inserting the sleeves of the respective portions in the bore of their corresponding sections; and

cutting the cap section and its corresponding sleeve to form a slot longitudinally thereof for receiving a clip for the instrument.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4, which includes the step of fixedly securing the sleeves in their corresponding sections.

6. The method of forming a wood encased writing instrument having a cap portion and a barrel portion, which portions each include a generally cylindrical sleeve and are normally coupled together when the instrument is in use comprising the steps of:

forming from real wood a pair of sections, each corresponding in size to one of said portions;

forming a bore longitudinally of each of said sections;

inserting the sleeves of the respective portions in the bore of their corresponding sections; providing a free, open end on the sleeve of the cap portions; and

securing a ring in telescoping relationship to said free end of the sleeve of the cap portion. 

1. The method of forming a wood encased writing instrument having a cap portion and a barrel portion, which portions each include a generally cylindrical sleeve and are normally coupled together when the instrument is in use comprising the steps of: forming from real wood a pair of sections, each corresponding in size to one of said portions; forming a bore longitudinally of each of said sections; inserting the sleeves of the respective portions in the bore of their corresponding sections; and cutting the barrel section at the end thereof opposite from that in which the sleeve is inserted to form an opening in said section for receiving a point for the instrument.
 2. The method as set forth in claim 1, which includes the step of preparing an initially monolithic strip of real wood, said sections being formed from said strip.
 3. The method as set forth in claim 2, which includes the step of shaping the exterior surface of each of said sections to substantially conform to the longitudinal configuration of its corresponding sleeve.
 4. The method of forming a wood encased writing instrument having a cap portion and a barrel portion, which portions each include a generally cylindrical sleeve and are normally coupled together when the instrument is in use comprising the steps of: forming from real wood a pair of sections, each corresponding in size to one of said portions; forming a bore longitudinally of each of said sections; inserting the sleeves of the respective portions in the bore of their corresponding sections; and cutting the cap section and its corresponding sleeve to form a slot longitudinally thereof for receiving a clip for the instrument.
 5. The method as set forth in claim 4, which includes the step of fixedly securing the sleeves in their corresponding sections.
 6. The method of forming a wood encased writing instrument having a cap portion and a barrel portion, which portions each include a generally cylindrical sleeve and are normally coupled together when the instrument is in use comprising the steps of: forming from real wood a pair of sections, each corresponding in size to one of said portions; forming a bore longitudinally of each of Said sections; inserting the sleeves of the respective portions in the bore of their corresponding sections; providing a free, open end on the sleeve of the cap portions; and securing a ring in telescoping relationship to said free end of the sleeve of the cap portion. 